James Gunn Reveals What He’s Most Looking Forward to About ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

James Gunn just gave one of his first in-depth interviews about his firing and rehiring from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by Disney last year. Speaking to Deadline he talked about whether Disney was in their right to fire him (he said they were), whether he was sorry about the controversial old tweets that got him fired (he was), and also the thing he was most looking forward to about making the movie (after Suicide Squad 2, which is still happening).

You might expect to Gunn to say he was looking forward to joking around with Chris Pratt, or exploring Gamora’s character in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, but for Gunn, it’s all about Rocket, a character he feels so close to he says he “is me.”

Here was Gunn’s quote:

When you asked me what was saddest for me when I thought it was gone—and anybody at Marvel can tell you—it’s this very strange and attached relationship to Rocket. Rocket is me, he really is, even if that sounds narcissistic ... I relate to Rocket and I feel compassion for Rocket, but I also feel like his story has not been completed. He has an arc that started in the first movie, continued into the second and goes through Infinity War and Endgame, and then I was set to really finish that arc in Guardians 3.

I just want to say, I loved Rocket’s Tromeo and Juliet script. Just top-notch stuff.

Seriously though, can we all just agree on this? Rocket is the best Guardian. By far. (Drax is a respectable, but distant, second place.) He’s the ultimate outsider in the group of outsiders. Also he loves stealing people’s limbs. That’s good stuff. Guardians Vol. 3 is coming, but its spot on the release calendar won’t be fully clear until Marvel announces its Phase Four lineup some time this summer.